Abyss
by Abstracted Illusions
Summary: AU Slash. At 17, Kai is a famous young model traveling to America to help run his grandfather's company. On the plane there, he meets Rei, a 19 year old prostitute. Being rewritten!
1. Chapter 1

_**Update June 3 2006.**_ **Okay, I have started to re-write this story. Finally. After a year of promising myself to do it, I have finally started! Problem is, I re-wrote chapter two before I did this one, so if I repeat myself a bit in the next chapter, pay no mind. I was just running out of ideas. Kinda. This chapter was a bit hard to write, which is partly why it is so short. It would have been longer, but like I said, I already wrote a lot of the important beginning things in the next chapter. Oh well! But I haven't done chapter three yet, so that part wont make any sense really at all yet. And chapter four is done, but I don't think I should post it until chapter three is done. Better get busy!**

_Chapter 1_

I shouldn't have to introduce myself to you. You should know my name already. I mean, come on, _everyone_ knows my name. But I guess I should do it anyways, for all of you who have been living under rocks for the past ten years. My name is Kai. Kai Hiwatari. And if that doesn't ring any bell in your head, you have serious problems, my friend.

I am a model. A really good one, too. My parents are dead, and my grandfather is Voltaire Hiwatari, one of the richest men on the earth. He owns hundreds of companies all around the world, called Biovolt. It's really just another huge game company, but for some reason has become more successful than any other.

I really wasn't too involved in it until just recently. We started to get letters that we were losing money, not gaining it, despite continued high sales. After a few long phone calls, and a couple of emails, my grandfather figured out that the whole problem was coming from one of the companies in America. New York, to be exact. The man my grandfather had placed there to run it wasn't exactly doing the best job, to say the least. I first discovered it when I walked into Voltaire's office to find him yelling on the phone. Trust me, I tried to escape quietly, but he spotted me anyways. It was done as quickly as that.

Now I am sitting in the back of the limo across from my grandfather, on the way to the airport, with four bodyguards surrounding us. Did I get a say in this? Not at all. Never mind that I was going to fly to France next week for an important shoot. Never mind that I really don't want to do this, and he knows it. I still have to go.

New York. New. York. Newwwwwwwww Yooooooooork. I can't wait. Really. I'm not being sarcastic at all.

"Sit up, Kai."

I scowled at Voltaire. "No," I muttered, slouching down further in the seat. "I don't want to."

"Help him, Brian," said my grandfather, not glancing up from the papers he was reading.

I scowled. "Don't you dare, Brian. I'll fire you if you do."

Finally Voltaire looked up, and amused expression on his face. "You won't fire him Kai. You can't. You aren't the one who pays him, and unless you want to start, he stays with you until I decide otherwise. Now sit up. I don't want to have to tell you again."

"No," I said, determined not to give in.

Voltaire sighed, and waved his hand. "Go ahead, Brian."

Beside me, Brian shrugged. "Sorry Kai," he said, and pulled me up, forcing me to sit straight.

I glared at him. "Thanks for your support," I snapped. "I thought you were supposed to listen to me."

"You can't fire me," said Brian simply, "but Mr. Hiwatari can."

"Whatever," I muttered. "This is stupid. I shouldn't have to do this. What's the point?"

Grandfather had gone back to his papers. "The point is," he said, flipping a page, "to stop us from losing more money, and give you experience handling a real job."

"But I have already **had** lots of practice! And I **have** a real job, remember. One that **you** got for me in the first place!"

"And I have regretted it ever since," he murmured. I could tell he wasn't really paying attention to me, and that just got me angrier.

"You just don't like that people like me better than you. I am way more popular than you. People look up to me. I am a role model for people everywhere! You are just another business man to them, and you know it."

Voltaire rolled his eyes. "If that makes you happy, Grandson, keep on believing it. Better than knowing the truth, I suppose."

Only Brian's hand on my arm stopped me from retorting. I hate him. He is always like this, treating me like I'm a little kid. Like he's so much better than me. It's always been like this, ever since I can remember. I don't think he has ever treated me like a grandson. Like family. Like an equal. He never wanted me, just like I never asked to be placed in his care. I would have been fine going to some other poor, insignificant relations. The only reason he likes me around is because he gets almost all the money I make, and because I'm smart he can send me on jobs like this for free, instead of hiring expensive professionals. Of course, it's all to 'improve my business skills.' And I'm stuck here until I'm eighteen. Then I can finally leave. Unless, of course he finds another way to trap me.

Wouldn't put it past him.

With a sigh I pushed Brian's hand off my arm and turned my head to stare out the window. The airport was already in view, and I knew it would only be minutes until we arrived. The only good part about this trip was it would get me away from Voltaire. The bad part was I could have escaped him just as easily by going to France. I could have relaxed for a few days, relieved some stress. Something that wasn't going to happen in America.

The car pulled off the highway and into the airport parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING! Now hopefully I've got your attention. So I decided to re-write this story, because it has been more than a year since I updated. But if you are just starting to read it now... I haven't finished re-writing the second chapter yet, so it probably won't make alot of sense. And I probably shouldn't be posting this until I get it all sorted out, but I couldn't wait any longer! So just kinda ignore the second chapter for now... Thanks for reading! **

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**Chapter 1**

A small whimper escaped my throat. Oh god, what am I doing here? Why the fuck did I agree to go through with this? What is wrong with me?

Well, actually there is nothing wrong with **me**. Just my dear old grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, again, being crazy as usual. I mean, really. The stupid old bastard knows I am afraid of heights. And planes. And come on, the two of them together? He wants to kill me, I swear.

But really, he's not the one I blame. It's not **really** his fault he employs bad people, who can't even run a stupid company properly. So in truth I blame Boris Balkov, the man who is supposed to be in charge of my Grandfather's company in New York. I really wonder sometimes what goes through his head when hiring people. I mean, even someone really stupid would be able to see there is no way a man like Boris could ever hope to run such a complex company such as this one. You need some one with actual brains, like me, for instance. I could do it with both hands tied behind my back.

Hence me going to New York.

Apparently, according to my grandfather, all I have to do is skip over to America, teach that idiot how to run the company properly, and fly back home, nice as you please. But he fails to realize all this could have been avoided by firing Boris and getting someone new, like I have been telling Voltaire for years. Or he just shouldn't have hired him to begin with. Who cares if he is an old family friend? That doesn't make him a genius. I mean, really. And now, I have to pay for their stupidity. Both Boris and Voltaire. Life so isn't fair.

"Come here, Grandson."

Sighing resignedly, I trudged over to where Voltaire was waiting. "Yes, Grandfather."

"Now, Grandson, remember. You will, of course, be flying in first class, but under so circumstances are you to tell anybody what your name is. No one must know you are flying to New York, however temporarily. The stewardess who will be serving you is under strict orders not to mention your name either. And I shouldn't have to tell you this, but **don't** remove your sunglasses or hat under any circumstances."

Yes, this is a part of my oh so brilliant life. Secrecy. Incognito. Disguise. Flying everywhere my Grandfather asks me to. Sorry, did I say asks? I meant orders.

"Now, when you arrive at the airport, Boris will have sent someone to pick you up. They will take you straight to the mansion. Don't leave with anyone who doesn't know the password."

The password. How juvenile, but necessary.

"Since the plane will get in at about 11:00 at night, you will go straight to the mansion. The next day you will meet with Boris at the company, and I will have further instructions waiting."

That really means he doesn't want to discuss business with me where people might be listening to his secret plans to take over the world.

Voltaire looked over his shoulder. He too was wearing sunglasses and a hat, if you can believe it. But although the airport was crowded, no one had noticed who we really were yet. Which is good, mind you. I would **hate** for the six or seven bodyguards stationed near by to actually have to **work.**

He sighed, a frown crossing his face. "I don't know if I like this. Too much could happen while you're up in the air, and you wouldn't have any protection. Maybe I should send Brian with you after all, just to be sure. It really isn't safe for you to go without at least one bodyguard." Brian was my personal guard, and usually he went everywhere with me, but I had begged off this time, giving him **and** me a break. It had taken a lot to convince Voltaire, but in the end when I threatened not to go entirely, he reluctantly agreed. Personally, I'm still expecting him to try and sneak Brian onto the plane in a duffle bag, or something.

"Grandfather, you promised. I'll be fine on my own. Besides, Brian deserves a break." He really does. The poor guy usually has to follow me around 24-7, which, trust me, gets really tiring for both him and me.

Voltaire scowled. "Fine. But if anything happens you'll only have yourself to blame. Go now. The plane will be taking off soon." He shook my hand briefly, before walking off towards the exit.

He really does care for me, you know.

---

"Hey, you alright?"

I turned to look at the person sitting next to me. He had long black hair that was braided down his back, while bangs fell into his face, flopping into his golden eyes. His skin was dark brown, tanned from being out in the sun to long. A tight white shirt covered his chest, and he was wearing baggy dark green pants.

He was staring at me intensely, and I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "Why?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "Well, you have a pretty strong death grip on the arm rests of the chair. Is this you first time flying?"

Who does he think I am? "Of course not," I snapped, loosening my grip a bit. But only a **little** bit.

He shrugged a real smile on his face now. "Whatever, kid. Calm down."

I frowned. He couldn't be more than a few years older than he himself. "I'm seventeen," I said, annoyed.

He blinked. "No kidding! That's only two years younger than me! You can't be that old."

My grip on the chair's arm tightened again. I hate being told I look younger than I am. It doesn't happen **that** often, because people are usually too much in awe of my presence to notice much else, but when it does, it really gets to me. I don't **really** look that young. People are just stupid. Like the one sitting next to me.

Maybe if I just ignore you, you will stop talking to me.

"So where are you from?"

Well, so much for that plan. "Russia."

"Really? I'm from China myself. Why are you going to New York?"

This guy sure talks a lot, doesn't he? "Business."

The guy blinked. "Business? At you age? What do you mean, business?"

"My grandfather needs me to go help run his company in America. The man he has hired now isn't doing a good enough job, so he needs me to go help him."

"Holy crap! How old are you?"

"Seventeen." For some reason I thought we had already established that.

"Fuck." The guy leaned back in his chair. "You must be pretty smart to be able to do that."

"Hmm." Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut—

"Hey, you look pretty familiar. Have I seen you some where before?"

Oh crap. "No. No you haven't."

The guy frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I definitely haven't met you before. "

He leaned a bit closer to me, peering into my face. "Say, what's your name?"

"Umm… do I have to tell you?" this isn't looking good. Of all the places to sit, why did I have to get the seat next to him? Why couldn't I have gotten the seat next to the nice old granny, who doesn't read the paper, or watch TV?

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because."

"That's not a good enough reason." He was starting to get annoyed. I could tell.

My eyes darted around wildly. A name! Any name! "Luke. Luke Hiwatari."

The guy raised his eyebrows. "Really? Hey, you have the same last name as Voltaire Hiwatari! What a coincidence!"

I laughed nervously. "Y-yeah. Funny how that happens."

He grinned at me. "So, your not related to him, are you?"

I snorted. "Yeah, I wish," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "That would be a lucky break."

He laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, it would. Imagine being related to one of the richest men in the world! You have anything you wanted! Do anything you liked!"

"Yeah, it would be great," I said sarcastically. He didn't notice.

"But," he continued, "You must be pretty well off anyways to afford a flight like this! Are you?" he asked, then added quickly, "If you don't mind me asking, of course!"

I shrugged. "I guess," I replied, fully aware I was lying through my teeth. "We also saved up a lot though. And… my grandfather helped."

"Are your parents rich?"

Umm… "I suppose… it's not that great, though," I quickly added. This topic was getting a little uncomfortable. "Most of the time I wish I wasn't."

"Well, it is better than having no money at all. I know what that feels like," he said, running a hand through his already messy hair.

I frowned. "If you have no money, then how did you get enough for this flight? Like you said, it isn't exactly cheap."

He looked away, a small blush spreading across his cheeks. "I… well, you see…"

I looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Never mind," he mumbled. "A little kid like you doesn't need to hear about such things."

I kicked at his ankle and he yelped, drawing stares from the people in front of us. I waved at them, and when they had turned back around, I looked over at him, smiling sweetly.

He glared at me. "What was that for?" he snapped.

"You deserved it," I said simply. "I'm not a kid. I am seventeen, and have probably seen more in one year than you in a whole life time!"

"Oh, I doubt that," he said.

I grinned. "Wanna bet?"

He laughed. "You'd loose."

I just rolled my eyes and turned to look out the window. Ooh, bad mistake. All those clouds, and air, and little tiny towns way, way beneath us… I think I'm going to be sick.

A hand was stuck in my face. "It's nice to meet you, Luke," the guy said. "My name's Rei Kon."

I stared at his hand for a moment, and then finally shook it. "I guess it's good to meet you," I said.

Rei laughed again. "You guess?"

"Well, I'm still deciding," I replied.

He nodded. "Well, let me know when you've finished," he said seriously.

I smirked. "I will." We sat in silence for a few minutes, before I decided to try and talk to him again. Maybe he would spill what he was going to say before. Without the little kid comment, mind you. "So… erm… why are you going to New York?" I asked.

Rei looked a bit surprised that I was the one initiating the conversation this time. I don't blame him. If I was him, I would be surprised I was talking to me to. "I have a friend over there," he said. "I haven't seen him in a while so I decided to visit him."

"But what about work? Are you taking time off?" Ok, that was obvious, wasn't it? I'm not being very subtle here. Need to work on that.

"Well…" Rei looked embarrassed again. "I can basically do my job anywhere. It doesn't really matter where I am."

Hmm. Well, that didn't help at all. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Do you have one of the home business things, where you do all your work at home on a computer?"

"Not exactly," he said slowly. He looked over at me, and saw I was still watching him, waiting for an answer. "Look," he finally snapped. "Just drop it, ok?"

"Fine!" I snapped, turning away. "No need to get so bitchy about it." See if I try to talk to you again, bastard.

Rei didn't say anything, so I slipped my headphones from around my neck up onto my ears, just in case he was going to try and talk to me again later. Pushing play, I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. I really didn't want to be here, sitting next to a guy who probably hates me, and on my way to boss around a guy I **know** hates me. I sighed, and kept my eyes closed, trying to ignore the miserable feeling that was building up inside me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Third part of the re-write! Enjoy!**

_Chapter 2_

Shit shit shit shit. There is no car here to pick me up. And unless it is just running 45 minutes late, I don't think there will be one, either. I really should have expected this. I really should have. Well, actually, despite my wildest imaginings of what Boris would do to me when I arrived, surprisingly none of them had included being stranded at the airport. Being stabbed to death while I slept, of yes, but not this. How is this going to get rid of me? Death would be a much more permanent solution. Here, I can always find some other way to get to the mansion. I have money. And my luggage was sent ahead a week ago. I'm all set.

A hand gently tapped my shoulder, and I jumped, spinning around to come face to face with Rei. I smiled tightly, my heart pounding. "Yes?" I asked. "Why are you still here?"

He looked really tired, which was understandable, seeing as it was almost quarter to twelve, American time. But his smile was much more real than mine was. "There was a problem locating my luggage," he said. "I was just wondering why **you** were still here. Are you waiting for a ride?"

I shrugged. "Well I was, but I seem to have been abandoned." I laughed, and it sounded fake even to my ears. "My family, they're all such practical jokers, you know." Yeah, right. Ha ha.

Rei frowned. "Your family?"

"Yeah. My," I almost choked on the word, "my uncle. He was going to pick me up, but, well, he's getting old. It's just him in the house. His memory is not what it used to be. Very sad." Oh god, _Boris_, my _uncle_? How did I come up with this crap?

Rei seemed to buy it, though, because he nodded, and asked, "So what are you going to do now? How are you going to get home?"

"Well, I was thinking of calling a taxi. That would work. I guess," I said. I had never taken a taxi before. Not that I had ever needed to, and with all today's horror stories, who knows what could happen! I could be kidnapped as soon as I stepped into the foul yellow things. Rei waved a hand in front of my face, and my eyes snapped back to his. "What?" I asked.

He looked slightly annoyed now. "I said, there are still some cabs waiting outside. I'll come with you. My friend's picking me up in a few minutes."

I shrugged. "Do what you want," I said, and started towards the exit. It was freezing outside. The sweatshirt I was wearing didn't do much to block out the cold, and I quickly looked around, spotting a car near us. I turned to Rei. "Well, there's my ride!" I said, the false cheeriness somewhat dimmed by my chattering teeth. "It was nice to meet you Rei! Have a good life." I turned and walked away, hearing his mumbled goodbye behind me as I went.

The taxi was an ugly sight. It was bright yellow, but the paint was peeling off all over, and rust was visible all around the door and the wheels. When I got inside, I realized the driver was just as unpleasant.

He turned to me as I slid into the seat, shutting the door behind me. "Hey cutie!" he winked. "Where ya headin tonight?"

I shuddered in disgust. He was old and fat and balding, and when he smiled, his teeth were as yellow as the car he sat in. "just… just going home," I stammered.

He leered at me, running his eyes over my body. "Oh? And where might that be? Where can I, take you?"

"Umm…" I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. No, very, extremely uncomfortable. I wasn't actually going to tell this walrus where I lived, was I?

He had twisted around fully in his seat by now and was leaning closer. I pressed back as hard as I could in my seat. But before he could say anything else, a car came towards us, the headlights washing over the dark interior of the car, illuminating it for a split second. When they had faded, I noticed the driver had a frown on his face. "You look sort of familiar," he said.

I froze. Crap. Not again.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" he asked.

Trying to be discreet, I pulled the hood of my shirt down further over my face. "No," I said firmly. "You haven't."

He peered closer. "Are you sure? Because, you look almost exactly like that guy, Voltaire Hiwatari's grandson."

I laughed, and it was high pitched, and very, very, false. "Yeah, what a strange coincidence!" I said nervously. "You know, I get that a lot. From people. That I look- well anyways, I've decided not to take a cab. I'll walk. Run. Running is good for you. You should run! Bye!" my fingers were already fumbling for the handle, and then the door was open and I was dashing out, scanning the empty road desperately for Rei. By some miracle he was still there waiting, but there was a car pulling up beside him, and he was grinning at the person driving it. "Rei!" I called, running towards him. "Wait, damn you!"

He paused, about to open the door, head snapping up to look at me. "Luke?" he asked, obviously confused. "What's wrong? I thought you were taking a taxi home!"

"I forgot to give you a goodnight kiss," I said sarcastically, glancing quickly over my shoulder to make sure the taxi guy wasn't following.

Rei gaped at me. "W-what?" he stammered. "But… the taxi! You were gone!"

I glared at him. "Well, now I'm back," I said. "And I'm not getting back into that evil thing! What am I going to do? How will I get home? The driver, he wanted, he was going to… the rust, the baldness, the oozing fat-" I knew I was rambling, but I couldn't stop.

Rei reached out a hand and griped my shoulder, shaking me slightly. "Wait, Luke. Calm down. What happened?"

I took a deep breath. "The driver there was lights and he saw-" I paused. He saw who I really was, and was about 2 seconds away from kidnapping and/or having his wicked disgusting way with me. "And he saw how stunningly good looking I am, and decided to feel me up in the back seat."

Rei stared. "He did not. Did he?"

I shrugged. "More or less. But what am I going to do now?"

"You could try again," he suggested. "I'm sure not all of them will be like that."

I shook my head. "No way. You're not getting me in another one as long as I live. Besides, they're all gone. Look." It was true. All the few cabs that had been waiting had disappeared, except, of course, the pervert guy's.

"You could go inside and phone for one," Rei protested weakly, but it was no use.

"No," I said. We lapsed into silence. I was shivering, and I wrapped my arms around my chest, dancing lightly from foot to foot trying to keep warm. Rei was no better off. I could see him looking longingly towards the car, and the what I assumed would be warm interior. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer. "Whatever," I muttered. "I'll walk, I guess." Even though the mansion was all the way on the other side of the city. "See you."

I turned, but Rei grabbed my arm. "No, wait," he said. "You can't. It's too dangerous."

"Well what do you propose I do then?" I asked angrily. "Sleep here?"

"No." he looked down at the ground. "I guess," He said slowly, "if you wanted, you come with me. You could, you know, stay the night, and I could drive you home in the morning."

I said the first thing that came to mind. "You want to kidnap me! It's been you all along!"

His head snapped up. "I do not want to kidnap you!" he said indignantly. "Why would I? I just don't want you wandering around at night! For someone who's afraid of being kidnapped as much as you are, you certainly are heading down the right path!"

"Well thanks, but no thanks," I said, pulling out of his grip. "I'll take my chances here."

"Don't be stupid," Rei snapped. "Come on. Please."

"You don't even know me!" I said. "What do you care?"

"I'd feel guilty," he said. "And I'd never know what happened to you. Please? This way you can set my mind at ease. Plus, you're out of options."

"No," I said, taking a step back. "No way. You could be a murderer."

Rei was scowling at me, and he also shivering rather violently. "Fine!" he said, his patience gone. "I don't know why I bothered in the first place! Sorry for trying to help you while I freeze my ass off for nothing! I-" but he broke off, staring at something over my shoulder. Then he smirked and moved in close to me to whisper in my ear, "hey, Luke, don't look now, but your lover boy is coming. And I think I know what he wants…"

I spun around, and sure enough, good old fat pervy guy was making his way towards us. I yelped and turned, pushing Rei towards his friend's car. He was laughing, but I took no notice, opening the door and shoving him inside, following quickly. To the guy in the front seat I said, "Quick! What are you waiting for? Move it!"

He laughed. "Finally! I've been waiting for hours!"

He pulled out onto the main road, and I leaned back into the seat, closing my eyes in relief. "That was close," I said. Rei snorted, and I realized he was still laughing silently. I hit him on the arm. "Shut up," I snapped. "It's not funny."

"Oh, I'd, have to… have to disagree on th-that," said Rei, gasping for breath as he tried to calm down.

The guy driving was smirking. "Oh, stop teasing him, Rei-Rei. It's not very nice. See how he blushes?"

"I'm not blushing!" I said hotly, glaring at him as Rei started to laugh all over again. "And you keep your comments to yourself."

The guy ignored me. "So who is he, anyways?" he asked Rei. "Is he a customer? You know I don't like it when you bring them back to my house, Rei. I thought we talked about this."

That sure shut Rei up quickly. He had suddenly gone ridged beside me. "He's not a customer!" he said in a tight voice. "I met him on the plane here. He needed a place to stay."

The guy just grinned. "Oh, and you offered! How sweet."

Rei shrugged. "Sorry, Tal. I guess I should have asked you first. It's just for one night, though. I didn't think you'd mind."

"Don't worry about it," he said cheerfully. "I could see how disastrous the situation was. Of course I don't mind!"

Rei grinned. "I would be worried if you did!"

I could see the guy glancing curiously at me in the mirror, and just to make sure, I pulled my hood down even further. "So what's your name?" he asked suddenly.

"Luke," I mumbled.

"Oh, sorry," said Rei. "Luke, this is my friend Tala Ivanov. Tala, this Luke Hiwatari."

"Luke Hiwatari," said Tala thoughtfully, and for a moment I was afraid he would make the connection, but he just smiled, and said, "So where are you from, Mr. Hiwatari?"

"Umm, well Russia originally, but I have been living in Japan for about 4 years," I said, a bit throw off by the Mr. Hiwatari. I hated when people called me that. Not only did it make me feel old, but it reminded me of my grandfather.

"Wow! That's soo cool! I came from Russia myself!" said Tala, conversationally. "I moved here quite a long time ago, though. Well, it wasn't really my choice. My parents decided to come here when I was four. Did you know Rei is from China?" when I shook my head, he grinned. "Well I guess not, seeing as you just met him and all. He lived there for a while, before he moved to Japan. That's where I met him. I was on an exchange there, and I stayed with his family. It was amazing! I've only been back once since then. I like to travel, though. I love meeting new people!"

I nodded. "That's… good?"

"Rei travels a lot more than me, though. He's been to visit me tons of times!" Tala said, and then asked Rei, "So how long are you staying this time?"

"I don't know yet," said Rei. "A while, I think."

Tala beamed. "Great!" he said. "This will be so much fun! Did you know that my neighbour was just telling me the other day that I should…"

I tuned him out, and stared out the window into the darkness. We had turned off the highway, and onto a street lined with houses. Not for the first time I wonder what the hell I'd gotten myself into. Voltaire would kill me when he found out. And Boris would be sure to tell him. Once he got over the shock of seeing me alive, of course. If I made it out of this alive.

I glanced sideways to where Rei was sitting, chatting happily with Tala. Sure, he seems nice. And acts nice. But did he really offer me a place to stay out of the goodness of his heart? What if he plans to murder me in my sleep? Or what if he really knows who I am, and is just pretending to be nice so he can kidnap me?

"Mr. Hiwatari? We're here."

I glanced up quickly. "What?"

"I said we're here," Tala repeated, opening his door. Rei had already gotten out of the car, and was opening the back to get out his bags.

Slowly I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The car was parked in front of a fairly large house which I supposed was Tala's, as he was currently walking up the steps to it, lugging one of Rei's suitcases with him. Rei was about to follow him, but he turned to me first and said, "Are you coming?"

I shook my head. "No, actually, I don't think I will after all. You know, I think this is really near to where my… uncle lives. So I can just walk." I actually had to idea where I was, and Rei seemed to know this.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Luke," he said, and turned and walked towards the house.

With a sigh I followed him.

It was nice and bright and warm when I stepped inside, closing the door behind me, shutting out the cold. Tala and Rei were no where in sight, but I could hear voices down the hall, so I walked towards them. I turned a corner and into the kitchen, where I found both of them already busy. Tala was putting on water for tea, and Rei was rummaging around in the fridge. Now that we were out of the darkness, I could actually see my host clearly. Tala was small, about the same height as me, with bright, sparkly, light blue eyes, and bright red hair that fell just above his shoulders with long bangs that fell into his eyes.

He turned to me with a big grin on his face. "Welcome to my house!" he said. "Feel free to make yourself at home! There is a room just down the hall, last door on the right, if you want to put your stuff in it."

As I had only brought one small bag with me on the plane, and the rest had been sent directly to the mansion already, I hardly felt it was necessary. "Umm, thanks," I said, uncomfortably.

Tala suddenly took a step forwards, smiling, and I automatically back up. "You're so pretty!" he purred. "I couldn't really see you properly in the car. I love you hair! It that your natural colour?" his fingers were playing with the ends of my hair.

Eyes wide, I took another step back. "Umm, sort of," I muttered. "I dye the front blue."

Tala didn't seem to notice my obvious attempts to get away, because he followed me, until I was pressed up against the wall. "Nice," he murmured, placing a hand on my chest. "And red eyes. Very unusual."

Frantically, I looked over to where Rei was taking some crackers down off a shelf. Why wasn't he helping me? "Well, umm… yeah. Very unusual," I said, pressing back hard into the wall. "Look—"

But Tala was speaking again, his hand idly stroking the fabric of my shirt. "You know, me and Rei are going to stay up talking… and stuff, for a while," he said, his voice oddly husky. "You're welcome to join us… if you want."

But at this Rei finally looked over at us, frowning. "Leave him alone, Tala," he said sharply. "I'm sure that Luke is tired. He probably just wants to go to bed."

Immediately Tala moved away from me and bounced over to Rei, grin back in place. "Of course not, Rei-Rei!" he said. "I just didn't want to exclude our guest, that's all! But if Mr. Hiwatari is tired, then of course he can go to sleep!"

Rei looked at me. "Luke?"

I glanced nervously at Tala, but he just smiled at me and turned to reach up into one of the cupboards, grabbing some mugs. "Umm… well, I think I will just go to sleep. Been a long day and all," I said, backing up towards the door. "Thanks for letting me stay," I said to Tala.

"No problem!" he chirped. "You're welcome here anytime!"

"Yeah…" I grinned weakly. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Last door on the right, Luke," said Rei.

I could tell he wanted me out of there for some reason, but really didn't mind being rushed off to bed. Tension was thick in the room, and what with the looks Tala kept throwing me out of the corners of his eyes, I was more than ready to leave. "Well… goodnight," I said, uncomfortably.

"Goodnight," said Rei quietly. "Don't stay up too late."

I looked at the clock above the stove. 12:35am. I frowned at him. "I could be telling you the same thing."

"Goodnight Mr. Hiwatari!" said Tala cheerfully. "Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite! I hear they have mighty big teeth!"

Seriously starting to think this guy was out of him mind, I nodded weakly and left the room.

I hope the room has a lock on the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**First I want to say thank you to every one who reviewed! I know I have been horrible about updating, but I never expected to get so many reviews for the last chapter! Thank you so much! I will start writing the next chapter right away!**

**And as for this chapter... well... I hope your not disappointed. I wrote this one first, and then went back and re-wrote the previous ones, and some of the stuff didn't match up exactly, because I kept getting new ideas, so I got a bit lazy fixing this one up. Hopefully you can't tell? And for all the people on author alert who are just reading this chapter, I STRONGLY STRONGLY suggest you go back and read the story from the begining, or I almost guarantee you won'****t understand whats going on. That said, enjoy!**

_Chapter 4_

I woke up sometime later. The bed in Tala's guest room was surprisingly comfortable, and I had fallen asleep almost as soon as my head had hit the pillow. According to the bright red number on the clock glaring at me through the darkness, it was only a little after 2:00am. For a second I just lay there, wondering why I woken up, but then I heard quiet laughter coming from the living room. Apparently Tala and Rei were still up talking. I frowned. Shouldn't they have gone to bed by now? I mean, Rei came from Japan with me, so he must be just as tired as me.

Slowly I got out of bed and moved towards the door. Opening it quietly, I crept down the hall toward the living room where they were still sitting, yawning as I did so. My common sense told me to go straight back to bed, but I ignored it. What was so important that they had to stay up this late for? Why couldn't it wait till morning? I was curious, and more than slightly worried they were hatching a plot to kill me.

But then… with the way that Tala guy had acted earlier, I don't think I had much cause to worry about killing.

When I got to the end of the hallway, I slid down the wall and leaned against it. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I could just see into the room, and I was pretty sure they couldn't see me. Not that they were looking. They were pretty wrapped up in each other.

Tala and Rei were sitting on a couch, a bit closer than was necessary, I thought. Tala was running his fingers through Rei's hair, his other arm around Rei's neck.

"So…" he said, speaking in a low voice, a smirk appearing on his face. "Mr Hiwatari is quite cute, isn't he?"

I jumped and shrunk back, my heart beating wildly.

Rei groaned. "Shit. You don't know the half of it."

"You look quite frustrated," said Tala, amusement in his voice.

"Yeah well, you try sitting next to the kid for 10 fucking hours." Rei leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes. "Nearly killed me."

"I could, help you out…" said Tala.

"Nah," Rei grinned. "I'm working on it."

"Is that why you offered my house for him to stay at?" Tala asked slyly.

Rei whacked Tala lightly round the head. "Hey, it's not like that, okay? He was stranded."

"But… it does have benefits, right?" asked Tala.

"Oh, shut up," said Rei darkly.

They were silent for a few minutes, and I sat there confused. What the hell were they talking about? What did Tala mean, benefits?

Finally Tala spoke again, softly this time, with no trace of his former teasing. "Rei, please tell me truthfully… how have you been doing?"

Rei sighed. "I told you already. I am doing fine. Much better than the past few years."

"Yes, because you have grown older. People are more attracted to you now."

Rei frowned. "Yes, but I have also got more experience than I had before. That counts as well, you know."

Tala spoke even quieter. "Oh Rei-Rei… you say that like it's a good thing…"

Rei scowled. "Well it is for me. I am making much more money than I used to, probably enough to rent an apartment here."

"So you plan to stay?"

"For a while, anyways."

"But Rei, apartments here aren't cheap! You know I don't mind lending you money! I have more than enough for myself, and you!"

Rei's voice was cold when he spoke. "I can make it on my own, Tala. I have been doing it for years. I don't need your help now."

"Oh Rei, but have you been living well for years is the question. I only want to help you!"

"I don't need you help!" there was a pause, then Rei spoke again, much softer. "I am sorry, Tal. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you just want to help, but really, I am fine. Just let me stay here a few days while I look for someplace to live."

Tala sniffed, and I suspected he was holding off tears. "You know you can stay here as long as you want!"

Rei smiled gently. "Thank you." he whispered.

Tala moved even closer to Rei, and the hand at his neck started to stroke the skin there. Even from this far away I could see Rei shiver. Tala was looking up at him through his bangs. "You know… Mr Hiwatari is asleep… we could… you know," he said, his voice low, like it had been in the kitchen.

Rei shook his head. "Tala, I already told you, we can't. I can do that anymore."

"Oh, but it would have been so fun! Just like the old times!" Tala pouted, looking disappointed. Rei stayed silent, so Tala continued, running a finger up Rei's chest. "Remember, Rei-Rei? We always went so well together…"

Rei bit his lip. "We shouldn't."

"Just once more," said Tala, kissing Rei's cheek.

"No…" said Rei, turning his head.

Tala smirked and leaned forwards, whispering something in Rei's ear.

To my surprise, Rei laughed. "You fight dirty, Tal," he said, grinning. "You always have." With that he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Tala's.

I gasped quietly. They… Rei was… Tala… they were kissing! Them! Two guys! Kissing! Why were they… they were together? Tala was gay?

… Well, ok, that isn't much of a surprise.

_Rei_ was gay?

I was completely stunned. Horrified. Yet I found I could take my eyes off them. I continued to stare at them, even when Tala climbed onto Rei's lap. Even when Rei slipped his hands up Tala's shirt. Even when I saw their tongues sliding together.

I don't know how long I watched them for. I wanted to leave, really I did. But for some reason I was unable. A long ragged moan was what broke me from my daze, and I was finally able to stand on shaky legs and stumble back to my room. As I crawled back into bed, I felt to warm, too flushed, and I buried my face in the pillow, confused and trembling.

oxoxo

I don't think it really hit me till the next morning, when I woke up in a strange bed. I had spent the night in a stranger's house. Seriously, what was I thinking? They could have done anything to me, could still! They could hack me up into little pieces and cook me for breakfast! Okay, maybe that is exaggerating a little, but still. Never while I was sane would I willingly go into a stranger's house. That is just something I don't do. My Grandfather will have a fit when he hears.

And trust me, he will hear about it.

Slowly I crawled out of bed, wrinkling my nose at the clothes I had slept in. All my suitcases had been taken directly to my Grandfathers mansion, so I had simply slept in the clothes I had been wearing. I cringed. They were wrinkly, and they smelt! What had I been thinking?

I shook my head and walked towards the door. Well that settles it, I thought. I defiantly haven't been in my right mind lately.

I could hear the sound of voices at the end of the hall, so I walked towards them. I could smell bacon, and my stomach growled.

As I walked into the kitchen, Tala turned to look at me from where he was standing at the stove. "Good morning, Mr Hiwatari!" he chirped. "I made you blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs with coffee! Come get it while it's hot!"

I blinked, not moving.

Tala looked at me with those big blue eyes. "Oh come on," he wheedled, "I even made your coffee non-decaf! Got to wake up for the long day ahead, don't you?"

Rei laughed and pushed me into a chair. "I think your scaring him, Tal."

I looked at him. Rei seemed happier this morning, and I couldn't help but blush, knowing what the reason probably was. Quickly I turned to stare down at the plate of food Tala had set before me.

"Eat up!" he smiled.

He looked way to eager for my liking, and I stared down at the food suspiciously. "You poisoned it, didn't you?" I asked, and was about to push it away when Rei's hand stopped me.

"He didn't poison it, Luke. Now eat."

Sighing I picked up my fork and cut into the pancakes. As much as I hated to admit it, blueberry was my favourite. I steadily began to work my way through them, only looking up once to find Tala, or freak, as I shall soon begin to call him, staring intently at me. "What?" I asked, frowning.

"Do you like it? Is it good?"

"Yes," I muttered, resuming eating. "Very good. Thanks."

He beamed and bounced over to the stove, taking down more plates for himself and Rei. Soon we were all sitting around the small table in silence. I stared down at my plate, eating steadily, trying to ignore the tension I could feel slowly rising.

Rei must have been able to feel it too, for he cleared his throat suddenly. "So where are you going, Luke?" he asked.

I glanced up at him. "What?" I asked.

"I mean, where does you uncle live? I'll drive you there once you're finished eating," he said.

"Oh." I looked back down, and shifted uncomfortably, pushing my pancakes around on my plate as I thought. I **was** going to stay at our mansion here in New York, but now I wasn't sure I wanted Rei to take me there. It wouldn't really fit with the whole 'poor me my uncle is poor and is loosing his memory' theme I have going here, to drive up in front of a huge mansion. No, actually, this isn't my house! This is just where I spend my summers. Yeah… right. But really what choice do I have? No way am I calling Boris to come get me.

"Luke?"

I sighed. "Well, my… my uncle lives, across the city? Maybe half an hour from here? You can take me there." If that's the only option. And it really was. There was no way I was showing up for work at the office looking like this. No one there would ever take me seriously again. Boris would see to that, stupid bastard.

"Alright," Rei nodded. "We'll go after breakfast. Tal, can I borrow your car?"

"Nooo!" Tala whined. "I don't want Mr. Hiwatari to leave! He only just got here! It's not fair. You're always ruining my fun, Rei. Besides, Mr. Hiwatari wants to stay. He likes it here." He turned to me. "Right?"

Umm… I do?

Rei sighed, looking annoyed. "Tala, he can't stay here, you know that. It was a one time thing. Now stop being stupid."

Tala glared, punching Rei on the arm. "Don't call me stupid, bastard!" he spat. Then he turned around and stomped out of the room. After a few seconds I heard a door slam. Rei, looking unfazed, took a sip of his coffee.

I stared after Tala, my mouth hanging open. Then I slowly turned to look at Rei. "Umm… what?" I asked weakly. I really wanted to ask, Is Tala crazy? But I was pretty sure the answer was yes.

Rei shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he said. "He'll get over it. He's always like this after…" he paused. "After…"

I nodded. "After…"

"Umm…" Rei coughed, and with a jolt I suddenly realized what he was talking about. I could feel my face burn, and I quickly stuffed more pancake into my mouth, almost choking. Rei didn't notice. He was staring into his cup, face dark red, not looking at me. Quickly he stood up and walked to the sink, dumping his coffee down the drain. "Okay let's go," he said, in a cheerful voice. Too cheerful.

I looked down at my half eaten breakfast and shrugged, standing up to follow him out of the room. At the door, Rei grabbed a pair of keys off a hook and opened the door, stepping out onto the street, with me following. The car was still parked on the road from last night, and I raised my eye brows at it. I really didn't remember it to be such a horrible bright red colour. It actually suited Tala very well, though, now that I thought about it.

Speaking of the little freak.

When I got to the car, I opened up the door and got in, only to see Tala himself sitting in the backseat, looking perfectly normal. Well, if Tala had a normal mode, this would be it. Sitting in the driver's seat, Rei glanced back at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Tala grinned. "You didn't think I was going to miss out on a chance to see Mr Hiwatari's home, did you? Besides, then I will get to spend more time with him? You can't have all the fun, Rei."

I was going to point out that I didn't really live there, having only stayed there once before, but I didn't, not wanting to go back to the punching angry Tala mode. Believe it or not, I actually preferred the disgustingly annoyingly cheerful creepy mode.

Rei pulled out onto the street, and soon we were lost in the sea of traffic, with me trying to give directions, and failing because I didn't really know where the mansion was, and trying to ignore Tala who was chattering away in the backseat long enough to actually remember where we were supposed to be going.

It was difficult, to say the least.

By the time we finally got on the right street, it was hard to say who was more relived, me or Rei. I'd have to say me though, simply because Rei was used to Tala, and I wasn't. At the moment, we were driving down a street filled with huge expensive houses, with huge expensive lawns. Tala had his nose pressed to the window. "You don't _really_ live in this neighbourhood, do you Mr Hiwatari?" he asked, wide eyed.

I shifted, uncomfortably. "Uhh…"

Tala pulled away from the window to stare at me. "You do?" he asked. Now even Rei was looking at me out of the corners of his eyes, clearly waiting for a response.

I looked away, and muttered instead, "stop here." Of course my house just has to be the biggest one on the block. On the whole stupid street. Hell, probably in this whole city.

Tala's eyes were once again glued to the window. "No way!" he yelped. "There's no way you live here! This is a joke, right?"

Oh how I wish. "Thanks for the ride," I mumbled, opening the door. Neither of them said anything. They just stared at me as I got out of the car. I sighed. "Well, bye."

That seemed to break Tala out of his daze. "Bye Mr Hiwatari!" he called, waving. "It was nice to meet you! And you can always come visit me!"

Rei wouldn't meet my eyes. "Bye," he muttered.

As soon as the door was closed the car pulled back out onto the road, and, knowing I would have to face Boris sometime, I turned, not watching as Rei and Tala drove away, and started to walk up the long driveway to the house.

After I was buzzed through the gates, and buzzed into the mansion, I was surprised to find the front hall to be completely deserted. I frowned, looking around. No Boris? No slimy disgusting Boris, who never misses a chance to humiliate me? How odd. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. But still. This was completely out of character for him, and I couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. And suspicious.

I made my way over to the staircase and started to walk up them to my room, thinking I'd better get to the company as soon as possible. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something was wrong. I didn't like this at all.

**End chapter 4**


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